Department Of Mechatronics

Engg

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ME-112 Engineering Statics

by
Nasir Rashid, PhD

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ME-112 Engineering Statics

CHAPTER-2
Force Vectors

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Force Vectors
• Scalars & Vectors
• Vector Operation
• Vector Addition of Forces
• Addition of a System of Coplanar Forces
• Cartesian Vectors
• Addition of Cartesian Vectors
• Position Vectors
• Force Vector Directed along a Line
• Dot Product
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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Scalar & Vectors
• Scalar
• any +ve or -ve physical quantity that can be completely specified by its
magnitude. (Defined by a number)
• examples include length, mass, time, temperature
• Follow mathematical rules

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Scalar & Vectors
• Vector
• any physical quantity that requires both a magnitude
and a direction for its complete description.
• examples include force, position, and moment
• A vector is shown graphically by an arrow
• The length of the arrow represents the magnitude of
the vector
• The angle between the vector and a fixed axis
defines the direction of its line of action
• The head or tip of the arrow indicates the sense of
direction of the vector
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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Operations
• Multiplication and Division of a Vector by a Scalar
• If a vector is multiplied by a positive scalar, its magnitude is increased by
that amount
• When multiplied by a negative scalar it will change the directional sense of
the vector

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Operations
• Vector Addition by Parallelogram Law
• Addition and Subtraction of vectors is a little harder than multiplication
• All vector quantities obey the parallelogram law of addition
• The two vectors A and B are added to form a “resultant” vector R = A + B
using the parallelogram law

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Operations
• Vector Addition by Triangle Rule
• Triangle rule is a special case of the
parallelogram law
• Vector B is added to vector A in a “head-to-
tail” fashion.
• In a similar manner, R can also be obtained
by adding A to B
• If the two vectors A and B are collinear, i.e.,
both have the same line of action, the
parallelogram law reduces to an algebraic or
scalar addition R = A + B
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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Operations
• Vector Subtraction
• The resultant of the difference between two vectors A and B of the same
type may be expressed as:

𝑅 ′ = 𝐴 − 𝐵 = 𝐴 + (−𝐵)

• Subtraction is therefore defined as a special case of addition, so the rules

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Addition of Forces
• Finding the Components of a Force
• Force can be resolved into two components in order to study its pulling or pushing effect in two
specific directions
• F is to be resolved into two components along the two members, defined by the u and v axes
• A parallelogram is constructed first, by drawing lines starting from the tip of F
• one line parallel to u
• other line parallel to v
• These lines then intersect with the v and u axes, forming a Parallelogram
• Force components Fu and Fv are then established by simply joining the tail of F to the intersection
points on the u and v axes
• Parallelogram can then be reduced to a Triangle, which represents the triangle rule
• Law of Sines & Cosines can then be applied to determine the unknown magnitudes of the components

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Addition of Forces
• Addition of Several Forces
• For more than two forces to be added,
successive applications of the parallelogram
law can be carried out in order to obtain the
resultant force
• If three forces F1, F2, F3 act at a point O, the
resultant of any two of the forces is found,
say, F1 + F2
• Then this resultant is added to the third force,
yielding the resultant of all three forces; i.e.,
FR = (F1 + F2)+F3
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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Parallelogram Method
• Using trigonometric identities
• Law of Sines and Cosines as we will seldom have right angle triangle

𝐵2 = 𝐴2 + 𝐶 2 − 2𝐴𝐶 cos 𝑏
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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
Vector Addition of Forces
• Examples:
2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4

• Fundamental Problems:
F2-1, F2-5, F2-6

• Practice Problems:
2-1, 2-13, 2-16, 2-20, 2-28, 2-31

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
EXAMPLE 2-1
The screw eye in figure is subjected to two forces, F1 and F2. Determine the
magnitude and direction of the resultant force.

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
EXAMPLE 2-1

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
EXAMPLE 2-3
Determine the magnitude of the component force F in figure and the magnitude of the
resultant force FR if FR is directed along the positive y axis.

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
EXAMPLE 2-3

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
PROBLEM 2-16
Resolve F1 and F2 into components along the u and v axes and determine the
magnitudes of these components.

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
PROBLEM 2-16

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
PROBLEM 2-31
Three cables pull on the pipe such that they create a resultant force having a magnitude of
900 lb. If two of the cables are subjected to known forces, as shown in the figure, determine
the angle θ of the third cable so that the magnitude of force F in this cable is a minimum. All
forces lie in the x–y plane. What is the magnitude of F?

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 ME-112 Engineering Statics
PROBLEM 2-31

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